Sharpen Up: November 17, 2021 | Sabres stave off Penguins in road win

Dustin Tokarski was the story last night as his career-high 45 saves led the Buffalo Sabres to a 2-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on the road last night.
Colin Miller and Kyle Okposo scored for Buffalo in the second period, but the Penguins poured it on in the third, outshooting Buffalo 20-3 in the final frame.
The team will not practice today and will return to the ice tomorrow when they'll face the Calgary Flames at KeyBank Center. Faceoff on Thursday is set for 7 p.m. on MSG and WGR 550 Pregame coverage on MSG begins at 6:30.
Tickets are on sale now.
Here's what you need to know.

Last night's recap

Sabres.com's Jourdon LaBarber was on the scene and has the full Postgame Report for you:
Dustin Tokarski is never one to hype himself up to the press. The goaltender prefers to deflect credit to teammates, thanking them for blocked shots and clear lines of vision.
Kyle Okposo did the talking for Tokarski on Saturday.
"He was our number one, two, and three star," Okposo said.
Tokarski kicked away a Jake Guentzel backhand shot and then lunged to stop Guentzel's put-back attempt with 19.6 seconds remaining for his career-high 45th save in the Sabres' 2-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena.

It was a fitting end to the night for Tokarski, who was a human highlight reel for the Sabres throughout the game and particularly during a 19-save third period. He stopped Guentzel on a power-play breakaway and absorbed a heavy hit in the process. His list of thefts against Jeff Carter alone included a post-to-post stop on a wrap-around attempt and multiple saves from point-blank range.
"I think that's just the nature of the job," Tokarski said. "It's an offensive game now and regardless of who you're playing, I think the goalie has to be good just like PK, PP, blocking shots, transitioning the puck. I'm a member of a unit out there and I've got to do my job just like everybody else."
Read the full recap here.

Sabres, Penguins co-host Pride Game

For the second-straight season, the two clubs partnered to host a Pride Game.

A portion of the proceeds from the auction will benefit three local Pride organizations: GLYS Western New York, Pride Center of Western New York and Niagara Pride.

Amerks back in action tonight

The Rochester Americans will go up against undefeated Utica tonight at Blue Cross Arena. Faceoff is set for 7:05 p.m.
Goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is the reigning AHL Player of the Week. Luukkonen made three starts last week and faced 117 total shots, allowing only five goals (1.68, .957). He recorded the first shutout of his AHL career on Saturday.

In our Amerks Update this week, Sabres.com caught up with rookie forward Linus Weissbach for a Q&A.
Here's a sample:
You played four years of hockey at the University of Wisconsin under Tony Granato, Don's brother. Have the brothers said anything to you or messed with you at all since you've now played under both brothers throughout your career?
Yeah, obviously getting to know the Granato family a little bit over my four years has been great, and just this past camp in Buffalo it was funny because Tony was texting me every day asking how it went.
One of the days, Donny came up to me and said, "Hey you gotta tell your old head coach to stop texting me, because he keeps wondering how you're doing." Obviously, they keep close contact and I'm sure they are just as happy as I am that I'm here.

It's your first year in Rochester and the team is pretty stacked with talent. You have yourself, Jack Quinn, Krebs, Peterka, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, you can go on and on with the list of talented players on that roster. What does that say about you guys hopefully being able to play in front of these great fans in Buffalo, and the future of the Sabres?
For everyone around the team, in Rochester and Buffalo, these are exciting times.
It's great to have a good team down here, everyone is fighting with, and I guess against, each other every day to get better. We all want to prove that we are good players here but also that we're ready to take that next step. I think that sparks good habits and things that will eventually lead to Buffalo.
I think for all of us that are here right now, we focus on being a good team here. Like you said, we have a lot of good players, and it all comes down to being a team and showing what everyone can do.
Ultimately just becoming close as a team, and I think we've done a pretty good job so far but it's obviously early in the year, but we're looking forward to the rest of the season.
Read the full article here.

Turkeys for Tickets is back tomorrow morning

The Buffalo Sabres announced that the team will partner with Wegmans and Audacy for a Thanksgiving turkey drive on Thursday, November 18 to benefit the Buffalo City Mission and FeedMore WNY.
The turkey drive will take place from 7 to 9 a.m. in the following locations:
For every 20-pound turkey dropped off, or the equivalent of a 20-pound turkey, the Sabres will give the donor one voucher, good for two tickets to an upcoming Sabres home game. Vouchers will be distributed immediately by volunteers at the drop-off sites.
Donors will also receive a Sabres and Wegmans branded Thanksgiving placemat, while supplies last.

A maximum of one voucher, which is good for two tickets, will be allotted per person. Fans can redeem their vouchers for select Sabres home games online using a promo code. Participants will have the option to purchase additional seats at the time of redemption.
Click here for full details.